Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz - Available

The Commoner

A Novel

by John Burnham Schwartz
Janet Song
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
It is 1959 when Haruko, a young woman of good family, marries the Crown Prince of Japan, the heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. She is the first nonaristocratic woman to enter the mysterious, almost hermetically sealed, and longest-running monarchy in the world. Met with cruelty and suspicion by the Empress and her minions, Haruko is controlled at every turn. The only interest the court has in Haruko is her ability to produce an heir. After finally giving birth to a son, she suffers a nervous breakdown and loses her voice. However, determined not to be crushed by the imperial bureaucrats, Haruko perseveres. Thirty years later, now Empress herself, she plays a crucial role in persuading another young woman–a rising star in the foreign ministry–to accept the marriage proposal of her son, the Crown Prince. The consequences are tragic and dramatic.
Told from Haruko’s perspective, meticulously researched, and superbly imagined, THE COMMONER is the mesmerizing, moving, and surprising story of a brutally rarefied and controlled existence at once hidden and exposed, and of a complex relationship between two isolated women who, despite being visible to all, are truly understood only by each other.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 22, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415946183
      • File size: 259836 KB
      • Duration: 09:01:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This audiobook has the feel of an epic--it spans years, rattles social structures, and explores personal trials. Janet Song's sedate performance only emphasizes the drama of this historical novel. With her calmly measured pace and careful enunciation, Song's dramatization of Haruko's journey from typical girl to wife of the Crown Prince of Japan seems even larger and more real. The listener is at Haruko's side as she copes with the considerable changes in her life with quiet strength. Exquisite and accessible to all listeners, Song's performance reveals fascinating, lifelike scenes. The glimpse of post-WWII Japan is interesting and informative without diminishing the power of Haruko's story and Song's calm vocals. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 31, 2008
      Schwartz's novel of the young woman, not of royal heritage, chosen to marry Japan's crown prince after WWII, is a delicate portrait of a simultaneously blessed and circumscribed existence. The book is written in the first person, making a female reader the obvious choice, and Janet Song rises to the occasion. Song's voice—hushed, placid, deeply gentle—lends a minimalist beauty to Schwartz's novel. Song thankfully skips the accents and stylized voices, choosing to emphasize a careful, vigorous reading that conveys a (perhaps stereotypically Western) sense of Japanese calm. The result is a deeply soothing reading. Simultaneous release with the Doubleday/Talese hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 22, 2007).

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from October 22, 2007
      Schwartz bases his finely wrought fourth novel on the life of Empress Michiko of Japan, the first commoner to marry into the Japanese imperial family. Haruko Tsuneyasu grows up in postwar rural Japan and studies at Sacred Heart University, where she excels—particularly and fatefully—at tennis, which provides her entrée to the crown prince, whom she handily beats in an exhibition match. After more meetings on and off the court, the prince asks Haruko to marry him. Persuaded by their mutual attraction and by assurances that the break with tradition will usher in a modern era, Haruko ultimately agrees, against her father’s wishes, to become the first commoner turned royal. But, as her father had feared, her freedom and ambition suffer under the stifling rituals of court life. Eventually, Haruko succumbs to the inescapable judgment of the empress and her entourage, falling mute after the birth of her son, Yasuhito. Though the narrative loses some of its life after Haruko marries—perhaps mirroring Haruko’s experience within the palace walls—urgency returns after Haruko chooses a wife for Yasuhito; the marriage tests Haruko’s dedication to the crown. Schwartz (Reservation Road) pulls off a grand feat in giving readers a moving dramatization of a cloistered world.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This detailed and thought-provoking tale is the heartfelt coming-of-age story of Haruko, a Japanese woman who becomes a princess but lives a shrouded existence. Narrator Janet Song perfectly captures Haruko's innate despair and loneliness. Song's voice brings listeners into the novel and commands their emotions from start to finish. Breathing life into Schwartz's work, Song makes it memorable by seeming to become Haruko. The immediacy of the production makes it sound so much like a recorded private journal that listeners may find themselves feeling like they're eavesdropping. This is narration at its very best--and an emotional journey to say the least. L.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading